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Butterfly Blues

Butterfly Blues

In this activity children determine the best conditions for a breeding site based on their knowledge of habitats.

Description

A record number of rare large blue butterflies were counted at a key breeding site during 2007. Experts believe a warm spring helped the caterpillars at the National Trust owned site develop quickly before the arrival of a very wet summer. Efforts to re-introduce the species began in 1983 after it disappeared from the UK in the late 1970s.

Children determine the best conditions for a breeding site based on their knowledge of habitats.

Learning Objective

to recognise ways in which living things and the environment need protection

to identify the effect of changes to the habitat on some organisms

Children will learn:

that different animal species occur in varying numbers

that the survival of one animal species can be dependent on the existence of another animal species

that more than one species can successfully inhabit an eco-system

that each animal species has its own needs for survivalto appreciate that animal species can be successfully re-introduced to an area

that even small changes can alter an eco-system and the survival of animal species

Primary upd8

Acknowledgements

These resources were initially developed in partnership with the Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam University.